A. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for processing data. And, the present invention relates more particularly to systems and methods for masking at least a portion of an image with another image.
B. Background of the Invention
A digital image typically comprises an array of picture elements. Each picture element, also known as a “pixel,” has a value and a location within the array. The value associated with the pixel represents its color (which shall be construed to include intensity for grayscale images).
At the lowest level, a digital image is a collection of pixel; but, at a higher level, pixels of the image may be grouped together into one or more groups that represent items within the image. For example, a group of pixels in an image may depict a face, a cup, a ball, a truck, landscape, or any other item. By identifying content within an image, one portion of the image may be processed differently than another portion. However, it can be very difficult to identify content within the image by examining the pixels. Furthermore, if the image is part of a set of images, such as a video, an item of interest in the image may move within subsequent images. The motion of the item between images greatly adds to the complexity of trying to identify and track the item within the images.